For many reasons the current trend in automobiles is toward smaller "compact" type vehicles. Better gas mileage is one reason which is obvious to anyone purchasing petroleum products at recently inflated prices.
A second reason for the popularity of "compacts" is the ease with which smaller cars can negotiate the crowded urban the surban traffic conditions and even more crowded urban and suburban parking areas. This makes the "compact" cars a particularly favorably choice as a second car for local driving and as a means to reach public transportation.
In order to make the smaller cars more useful and, therefore, more attractive, a number of compacts are made in the form of a so-called hatch back. These vehicles are a hybrid between a sedan and a station wagon. The rear seat often folds down and a rear hatch opens to give a relatively large cargo area, thus doubling the usefulness of the vehicle.
Unfortunately, in just those crowded areas where a compact automobile is particularly useful, there is also an increased risk that one's automobile will be broken into. This is especially true where one can determined by mere inspection that valuable items may be stored in the cargo area of the automobile. Thus a hatch back or station wagon containing what appears to be valuable cargo is a particularly attractive target for a thief. One need only look into a rear window or side window to determined whether there is anything which appears to be valuable and, if so, determine if the risks inherent in breaking into the vehicle are worth the rewards.
Merely throwing a cover or drop cloth over items contained in the visible compartment of a hatch back or station wagon may reduce the chances that the cargo will be considered valuable -- or may pique the curiosity of a possible thief due to the shape of the objects as reflected in the way the cover is draped or because of the presence of the cover itself.
Also of increasing popularity are van type vehicles for their small size and relatively large carrying capacity as well as their easy conversion, either customized or by way of factory "options," to camper-type vehicles. Unfortunately, the heater in these vans tend to be inadequate to warm the driver especially during cold northern winters.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cover for an automobile rear compartment for use in concealing, from outside view, items stored in a normally visible rear compartment of an automobile vehicle.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a rear compartment cover which appears the same whether there are items stored beneath it or not.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a rear compartment cover which does not restrict access to the rear compartment when the hatch or rear door is opened. It is a related object of this invention to provide a rear compartment cover which can be left in place as a permanent fixture so as not to arouse curiosity by its presence.
It is a still further object to provide, for a van type vehicle, a strong taut cover over the forward opening of the rear compartment, especially just behind the front seats, to act as a thermal barrier during cold days and thereby increase the efficiency of the heater for the van.